In yet another effort to strengthen ties with the diaspora, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a conclave of over a hundred Indian-origin members in 23 foreign Parliaments on January 9.
New Delhi is set to host altogether 141 foreign parliamentarians and 17 mayors, who all trace their ancestry to India.
"They will attend the PIO Parliamentarians' Conference at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra on Tuesday. The prime minister will deliver the inaugural address," Dnyaneshwar M Mulay, Secretary (Overseas Indian Affairs) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said.
Modi has been reaching out to Indian diaspora around the world ever since taking over as the prime minister of the BJP-led government in 2014. Interactions with Indian and Indian-origin people have been regular features in the prime minister's schedules during his visit to foreign nations.
Mulay said that the PIO (Person of Indian Origin) parliamentarians would attend two thematic discussions - one on "PIO Parliamentarians: A Journey of struggle to Parliament" and another on "Resurgent India: Role of PIO Parliamentarians".
Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP and chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, and Ananth Kumar, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, will chair the two sessions.
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu will address the valedictory session of the conclave.
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